Teachers
Margate, Ocean City, Brigantine and Atlantic City schools have some of the highest-paid teachers in the state, according to state Department of Education data written up by Diane D’Amico at The Press of Atlantic City. The data ranks districts by median salary. Margate and Brigantine said the data reflects the longevity of their staff but D’Amico notes that higher starting salaries also contribute to higher median salaries in these districts.
Monopoly
Atlas Obscura has this amazing piece that tells the history of the Monopoly board game and the buildings and streets in Atlantic City that inspired it – it’s a trip back in time, complete with great pictures.
Part-Time Mayors
The Press has a piece about how the Atlantic County Economic Alliance is helping out part-time mayors, but I think (this is Elinor) when you read it, it’s a little bit more interesting than that. It’s really about how the Alliance is trying to help municipalities maintain and attract businesses. The piece also makes the point that many part-time
Photo from the Maurice River trail by @suerogo0624 on Instagram.
mayors are small business owners, which is an interesting feature of local government that doesn’t get enough attention. I feel like there’s a story in a story here about local government and business but I can’t quite wade through the morass of agencies and authorities to figure out who actually DOES something and who just TALKS about doing something. Taking off my journalist hat temporarily and putting on my Route 40 small-business-owner hat, it feels like the million-dollar tax credits, grants and loans handed out by acronym-soup authorities are only for the big companies, while there’s a whole lot of talk but little actual support for ‘small business’. That said, more small businesses should know about the Atlantic County Improvement Authority’s awesome micro-loan programs (we still need more of these) and here’s a heads-up about a great county program to provide incentives and reimbursement for hiring kids during the summer.
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In the rest of the news from the last 24 hours, there are more permit problems for the PennEast pinelands pipeline, read this op-ed on New Jersey’s infrastructure problems and solutions – Rowan University’s Be a Paleontologist day and have you tried the Tony Baloney’s Taco Pizza yet? All that and more below:
Fine Print: OLS Releases Analysis of Christie School Budget–The nonpartisan Office of Legislative Services yesterday released its separate budget analysis of the state Department of Education’s spending proposal for fiscal 2018. www.njspotlight.com
Push to expand casino gaming continues, but even supporters concede prospects are dim–Despite an enormous defeat at the polls last year, supporters of expanding casino gambling outside of Atlantic City continue to press their case in private discussions with lawmakers, some of whom have introduced legislation that would allow slot-style gaming machines at horse racetracks. Politico PRO
AG wants automatic jail time for gun cases under N.J. bail reform–TRENTON -- Citing "grave concern" among county prosecutors, New Jersey's attorney general has asked the state's court system to add gun possession and other crimes to the list of offenses for which suspects are automatically recommended to be locked up under the state's new bail system. NJ.com
Christie budget would strain N.J. schools and local governments, rating agency says–TRENTON -- Schools and local governments will feel the pinch in Gov. Chris Christie's final budget, a rating agency said Monday of the $35.5 billion spending plan. NJ.com
North Jersey Clerk Blocks South Jersey Gub’s Ballot–Hirsh Singh, says he is being blocked by the Passaic County Clerk's Office, which is run by Kristin Corrado, Paul DiGaetano's opponent in the state Senate race. North Jersey
Your property taxes are sky-high. Here’s what N.J. governor candidates would do about it.–Poll after poll finds property taxes as the single biggest issue in the 2017 We got you some answers on how the candidates will handle them. NJ.com
Tidal Flooding Expected Along the Shore on Tuesday–Tuesday will bring periods of rain, brisk winds and some tidal flooding to South Jersey. Press of Atlantic City
Egg Harbor Township Walmart to hire 300 employees–EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP — The Wal-Mart opening along Fire Road will hold a hiring event to fill 300 job openings. A temporary hiring center is open at 3100 Hingston Ave. Press of Atlantic City